VIDEO LINKS TO THIS SERMON
THE HOLY SPIRIT
by Pastor Mark Taylor
In the Apostles’ Creed we say: “I believe in the Holy Spirit”. Christians believe in one God. "The Lord our God is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4); we're not "polytheists" - we do not believe in many gods. We do believe that God has chosen to reveal Himself in three different ways – The Father, The Son (The Lord Jesus Christ), and The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was present at creation with the Father and the Son. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-2). “And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). The Bible teaches that we are a trinity of a body, mind, and soul, yet we are one. Nature illustrates the Trinity in trees: the tree, the fruit, and the seed. An egg is a shell, white, and yoke. Water (H2O) can be liquid, ice, or vapor. While these can be separated, God the Father, the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are always with each other and are one substance. Yes, it is a hard concept to understand because God is much greater than you or I, and His ability to create Himself in three forms, and remain one is not completely understood by human minds. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8, 9).
Our Lord and Savior spoke often of the Holy Spirit as a person. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20).
The Holy Spirit, who is the Third member of the Trinity, is a gift to us in this dispensation, the "Church Age." The Holy Spirit's work is to give believers gifts or talents to enable him to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
When the Lord Jesus ascended into Heaven He sent the Holy Spirit to become present in the lives of every believer. He teaches and helps us to understand the Word of God. “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither knows Him: but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).
Our Lord in His physical body could only be present at one place at one time, but through the Holy Spirit He can be every where all the time.
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:7-9). It is the Holy Spirit that brings you to God the Father through His Son, the Lord Jesus. “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” (Romans 8:8-9).
When you accept the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior, the Holy Spirit comes and lives in you. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:38-39). “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand…I and My Father are one.” (John 10:28-30). The Holy Spirit seals that promise. “That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” (Ephesians 1:12-14).
God gives us the Spirit so that we can know what the right thing is and how to do it. He could of given us a huge manual to study with the right thing to do in every situation that would ever come up in life. But instead He gives us the Spirit so that we have the answer right then as it comes up.
The second thing that the Spirit does for us is allow us to live as children of God. There is a big difference between being led by the flesh and being led by the Spirit. When we were led by the flesh we were slaves. We were ruled over and had no choice in the matter. But, by the Spirit we are led as children are led. How do I lead my children? First, I lead them gently. I take them by the hand, or if the way is too difficult I carry them. Second, I lead my children in the way they need to go. I am not going to take them anywhere that is dangerous or unhealthy. No, I am going to take them to the best places for them. Third, I lead my children personally. I set the example for them. We talk along the way. I answer their questions and guide them through it encouraging and instructing.
Another work of the Spirit is intercession for us, helping us to pray. Almost like a translator allowing us to speak the language of heaven. “Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26). In our spiritual lives there are many times when we do not have any idea what is wrong, all we know is that something is not right. At these times the Spirit that is dwelling in us knows exactly what the problem is and is already taking the issue up with God.
There is much more to the Holy Spirit but this is a great start to understanding God in our hearts, making us truly alive, children of God, intimately linked with the Father, guaranteed of an inheritance and interceded for perfectly because He knows our hearts and knows the will of God. What a blessing to be led by the Spirit!
No comments:
Post a Comment